Trail Blazers' Season Ends With Disappointing Game 6 Loss

Portland had a commanding lead in the third quarter, but Nikola Jokic and Denver proved too much.

Notes, observations, analysis, clips and more from the Trail Blazers' season-ending 126-115 loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 of the first round of the playoffs.

• Portland deserved this loss, but it's an abject shame that Damian Lillard was prevented from even trying to rescue his team as Game 6 unraveled. He took a shoulder to the chin from Michael Porter Jr. with just over 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter and was never the same. Lillard waived off the ball to put his hands on his knees on the Blazers' ensuing possession, only to be handed a grenade for a missed 30-foot heave. The aggression and burst off the dribble that had propelled Portland to a commanding third-quarter lead was gone. Clearly shaken up, Lillard was forced to try and draw fouls on jump shots and otherwise rely on his teammates down the stretch. He went just 1-of-6 after colliding with Porter, his only basket a gimme layup Denver surrendered to prevent him from pulling up for three. He randomly lost his dribble a couple times, too. Apart from some errant passes and getting stripped on the drive, Lillard absolutely dominated the action before he was limited by injury. He got himself and his teammates whatever he wanted offensively, and took on the challenge of guarding Porter after the 6-foot-10 sharpshooter exploded for 22 points in the first quarter. Porter ended with 26 points, a reflection of the intensity and physicality he dealt with once Lillard switched onto him. Terry Stotts gave Lillard a curtain call with 31 seconds left and his team trailing by 10. The standing ovation an adoring Moda Center crowd gave Lillard was probably no consolation for another disappointing playoff exit, though. Defensive foibles notwithstanding, Lillard did pretty much all he could to will the Blazers to first-round victory. It's an organizational failure that his epic season-long efforts yielded nothing but a loss to a short-handed, less-talented opponent.

• At least Dame set a new record for total threes in a postseason series? This impossibly tough step back just before the halftime buzzer was his 35th triple of the first round. Unfortunately, Lillard didn't hit another.

This man Dame Lillard pic.twitter.com/sVytLYnjXg

— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) June 4, 2021

• Portland shot 5-of-18 in the fourth quarter overall and missed all five of its three-point attempts. The Nuggets had all but completely erased a 14-point deficit by the end of the third; rough shooting at the wrong time was hardly the only thing afflicting the Blazers late. With Lillard not himself, the fourth quarter seemed the perfect time for C.J. McCollum and Norman Powell to prove the worth of Portland committing to build its roster around three guards. Maybe it was, but McCollum and Powell just couldn't deliver. They went a combined 1-of-6 in the final stanza, McCollum missing a handful of forced shots and Powell clanking a wide-open corner triple with just under two minutes left that would have cut Denver's lead to three. McCollum had 21 points on as many shots, while Powell scored 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting. Both flashed as playmakers, taking advantage of the Nuggets loading to the strong side of the floor to find open teammates for easy looks. Those passes were pretty routine, though, and it speaks volumes that McCollum couldn't slow down Monte Morris in crunch-time and Lillard was a better option on Porter than Powell. This series was one that the Blazers, at least on paper, enjoyed a seemingly difference-making advantage at guard. Lillard certainly did his best to provide it. McCollum and Powell just weren't good enough on either end of the floor.

• Jokic didn't attempt a shot in the first quarter, beset by foul trouble that sent him to the bench early. He more than made up for it from there, spearheading Denver's vital third-quarter run with 20 points in the period and dominating in crunch-time with or without touching the ball. The Nuggets' offense late in the fourth quarter was simple: High ball screens set by Jokic that gave Denver's guards a clear path to the rim or straight post-ups that left Robert Covington at mercy of basketball's smartest, most skilled big man. Why was Covington left to tangle with Jokic? Because Jusuf Nurkic, who didn't commit a single foul before halftime, picked up four in the third quarter alone and earned his fifth on a reach trying to corral Jokic off pick-and-pop. Nurkic did well at times on Jokic in Game 6, especially early and on the block. It's when he was tasked with defending in open space that Nurkic was in trouble. Kudos to Michael Malone for calling sets that got Jokic a catch on the move and forced Nurkic to make point-of-attack decisions in high ball-screen action. No one in basketball can stop Jokic. One wonders if this series might have gone a bit different, though, if Zach Collins was available for six additional fouls on the presumptive MVP. C'est la vie.

I mean... come on pic.twitter.com/9Z9jnhicdk

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) June 4, 2021

• Portland's lack of collective size loomed large, and not just when Jokic went one-on-one or Porter rose for unblockable jumpers. JaMychal Green was credited with just two offensive rebounds, but his physicality and activity on the glass was a problem even for Covington and Carmelo Anthony. The Nuggets scored 19 second-chance points to the Blazers' eight, many of them three-pointers off offensive boards and kick-outs. The nuances of a playoff series sometimes make it easy to forget teams' big-picture deficiencies. Maybe size isn't the biggest reason why Portland lost to an inferior foe in the first round, but it certainly played a factor.
• Looking for a bright spot from Game 6? Anfernee Simons was great on Thursday, pressed into a larger role than anticipated because Powell committed his fourth foul in the third quarter. The three triples are what will get most attention, and rightfully so. Simons is an elite shooter, with burgeoning confidence. He won't ever develop into a primary creator, but the strides he made offensively in his third season were extremely encouraging nonetheless. Just as important? The immense progress he made at the other end of the floor, on display during this crucial tie-up of Morris in transition as Denver embarked on its third-quarter run. In a different world, Simons' hustle and quick hands helps rid the Nuggets of the momentum they needed for a comeback win. Maybe this time next year.

• Anthony is a free agent this summer. He was better this season than his detractors anticipated, event accounting for his sweeping defensive weaknesses and penchant for ball-hogging. Those attributes were on display with the Blazers' season on the line, of course, 'Melo getting targeted on defense early in the fourth quarter and on several occasions barfing up contested jumpers. Anthony, who scored 14 points on nine shots, wasn't the reason Portland lost on Thursday – not even close. But wasted possessions like this – right in the midst of the Nuggets' comeback – definitely didn't help matters.